PAKPATTAN:
The chief executive officer of Pakpattan district health authority and medical superintendent of DHQ hospital were arrested for criminal negligence on Friday after patients and attendants complained to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif during her surprise visit to the healthcare facility about mismanagement, negligence and lack of basic facilities.
The chief minister inspected various wards of the district headquarters hospital and interacted with patients and their families. According to an official statement, the patients and attendants voiced serious complaints about mismanagement, negligence and lack of basic facilities.
Despite the availability of medicines in the hospital store, patients were reportedly being forced to buy them from outside due to collusion between the pharmacy and external suppliers. The MS and other officials attempted to conceal the facts, as per the statement.
In light of the findings of an inquiry, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took immediate and strict action. First information reports (FIRs) were registered against Pakpattan District Health Authority CEO Dr Sohail Asghar and DHQ Hospital MS Dr Adnan Ghaffar for criminal negligence and both were taken into custody by the police.
A new MS from Sahiwal was appointed to head the hospital.
Following complaints of overcharging for parking, the CM ordered the arrest of the contractor and in-charge. Due to collusion with private laboratories, three technicians were dismissed and three labs sealed. The Pakpattan deputy commissioner was also ordered to relinquish the charge immediately.
The chief minister ordered a complete audit of the hospital equipment.
Patients lodged a barrage of complaints regarding being forced to purchase medicines from outside, despite the hospital store having adequate stock.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed strong displeasure over the fact that air conditioners were functioning in administrative offices and not in the wards.
On the occasion, the chief minister ordered the implementation of the Code Red and Blue emergency response systems in all government hospitals across Punjab.
She directed the authorities concerned to take strict measures to ban the use of mobile phones by doctors and paramedical staff during duty hours for ensuring uninterrupted patient care.
The chief minister ordered the introduction of a pager system to enhance internal communication in the hospitals.
She ordered that all ongoing inquiries related to negligence and mismanagement in public sector hospitals should be concluded within one week.
The chief minister inspected various hospital wards, medicine store and the laboratory. She enquired from patients about their condition and treatment.
She also asked the patients and their attendants in the hospital’s waiting area about the availability of medicines and the quality of treatment.
Despite medicines being available in the hospital’s medical store, patients complained that prescriptions were being written in a way that forced them to purchase medicines from pharmacies outside the premises.
Expressing frustration, the chief minister remarked, “We are allocating Rs100 billion for medicines then why are the people not receiving them?”
She was particularly angered by the absence of public notices about the availability of free medication in the hospital. She added, “All it takes is a single round to witness the ground reality. Ninety per cent of patients here are complaining that they are forced to buy medicines externally.”
CM Maryam Nawaz noted that vital equipment and machinery were lying packed in storage, unused and uninstalled. She criticised the lack of commitment, stating that those who refused to work in hospitals and public institutions were the real culprits of the nation. There was no shortage of doctors and nurses, only a lack of empathy, she asserted.
She said, “Weapons aren’t the only tools of murder, negligence can be deadly too.”
According to the inquiry report, the medical superintendent of the hospital had failed to fulfil his administrative responsibilities. Consultant doctors were not giving sufficient time to patient care. Necessary equipment was available in the store but had not been made functional.
It revealed that delays in treatment were primarily caused by indifference shown by consultants, doctors and the staff. Specialist doctors did not conduct night rounds. Paediatric incubators were present but non-functional.
